1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hearing aids and, more specifically, to ear pieces for retaining a microphone within an ear canal of a user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous types ear pieces are known in the prior art. Ear pieces are generally used to hold a microphone of a hearing aid within the ear canal of a user. It is important to provide an ear piece that fits comfortably within the ear canal of a user and also functions to prevent sound from leaking out from the ear canal. Prior art ear pieces are generally cylindrical in shape. Such prior art ear pieces have encountered the problem of collapsing when inserted in the ear. In order to reduce the occurrence of collapse, ear pieces were provided with ribs to provide additional stability to the ear piece. In order to prevent collapse, ear pieces were provided with circular ribs extending around a circumference thereof or straight ribs extending along a length of an inner side of the ear piece. The addition of these styles of ribs improved the ear pieces. However, such ear pieces were not completely effective and still allowed for at least a portion of the ear piece to collapse when placed inside the ear canal of a user. As these prior art ear pieces were subject to total or partial collapse, they were not able to fully retain sound inside the ear canal thereby causing a user to experience feedback when the sound leaking from the ear canal into the area containing the microphone.